If you're shopping for a budget tablet, you can do much worse than the Nexus 7. It's a quad-core workhorse, you can easily hold it in one hand, and its US$200 price is right. But there's always room for improvement. Though the Nexus 7's display is sharper than those of rival tablets, it isn't quite "Retina." That may soon change, with reports that Google and Asus are working on a 1080p follow-up.
Upgrades
According to DigiTimes, Google is partnering with Asus on a second-generation Nexus 7. The device's big upgrade would be its 1080p (1920 x 1080) 7-inch display. That would crank the Nexus 7 2G's pixel density up to a crisp 315 pixels per inch (PPI), up from its predecessor's solid 216 PPI.
The report cites "several specifications" seeing upgrades. The only other specific change it mentions is thinner side bezels, a la the iPad mini. That would also likely mean that the new Nexus 7 would tip the scales a bit lighter than its predecessor.
The report doesn't mention an upgraded processor, but we wouldn't be surprised to see NVIDIA's Tegra 4 chip make an appearance. No matter what engine lies under the hood, the tablet will supposedly ring up at the same $200-250 price points as the O.G. Nexus 7.
The sources say that the tablet will run "Google's upgraded Jelly Bean." That likely refers to Android 4.2, but a summer release could potentially coincide with the next major Android upgrade (Key Lime Pie?).
Release
The report expects Google to announce the new tablet in May. If it's released soon after, it would prove an even more compelling alternative to the iPad mini. Apple's second-gen miniature tablet (possibly toting a 2048 x 1536 Display) isn't expected to be released until October.
Google is also rumored to be working with Samsung on a 2nd-gen Nexus 10, which could launch by August or September.
Source: DigiTimes
